Definitely Not a Monster
by T. D. Linger
Summary: Pony on Earth. Twilight Sparkle finds herself in the frightening world of humans, and becomes both the student and teacher in an important lesson on friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I wasn't satisfied with the 1st chapter, so I rewrote it completely. I hope to get the 2nd chapter a lot sooner than this took, thanks for reading.**

For the hundredth time, Twilight Sparkle checked the readings.

"140 volts..."

According to the managraph's wriggling needle, the air's ambient magic finally reached the proper level.

"Ah don' know, Twilight. This still seems mighty dangerous. I ain't never seen so many spark's flyin' and boxes beepin' at once."

Twilight gulped, and checked the readings the hundred and first time. She was already nervous enough; the worried concern on her friends' faces wasn't helping. Still, she was glad they cared enough to come and witness her big accomplishment.

"I agree with Applejack, dear. Not to mention, all this static electricity is a nightmare for a lady's mane."

Twilight took a deep breath, and levitated her clipboard onto the table. She willed the fear out of her face, and turned to face her friends.

"Don't you all care about progress?"

A crackling bolt of magic arced across the room. Following that, Fluttershy's timid answer felt even quieter.

"Progress...towards what?"

"Long-range teleportation could revolutionize the shipping industry! Just think of what it could mean for your businesses, Applejack and Rarity. Costs lowered dramatically...reaching new markets, as far away as Stalliongrad!"

"Eh. I think we pegasi do a fine enough job already," Rainbow Dash added, trying to hide her interest in the crackling lightning.

Twilight was used to this. Ever since magic kindergarten, she'd met few ponies with an urge like hers. An urge to go upward, to explore the very bounds possibility. The other ponies were always satisfied.

But not her. Not with her hoof on the edge of tomorrow. If only she could make them see.

"Spike, begin the countdown."

"Ok...um, Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven..."

Twilight readied her focus on the teleportation spell. She ran her hoof over the trip switch. Pressing it would discharge all air's built-up magic, magnifying her teleportation many times over.

"...Six. Five. Four..."

Where would she end up? Her calculations suggested it would be just before Canterlot. But it might even be far as Manehattan. No matter where she headed, she knew why she was headed there. For progress. And for understanding.

"...Three. Two. One. Activate."

Twilight closed her eyes, and hit the switch. Even with her eyelids clamped shut, the world was nothing but white. And then, black.

I set at my desk. The end of another Saturday evening was nearing. For a short while, I let my attention fly out the window. It was a grey world of concrete, but the hustle and bustle had its own warmth. A thousand unknown faces passed by; buses packed with hundreds of people I'd never talk to.

I couldn't let my attention wander too long, though. This internship was supposed to be a great opportunity, and I didn't want to waste it. I just had one last task before closing up. Unfortunately, it was the one part of my Saturdays I truly hated. I navigated to my email inbox, and massaged my temples as I began to deal with the hate mail.

It was pretty easy, though. I only had to pick which form letter to send back, maybe with some modification. The hard part was losing my faith in humanity.

I finished up faster than normal. Minutes later, I mumbled past the receptionist and flung the door open, to let the winter air wake me up again. I only had to stick with that internship a bit longer. I was set on my resume...it'd be wasted effort if I quit early. Though everyday felt like wasted effort anyways. I'd applied to make a positive change in the world, but it felt like rolling a boulder up a hill while people shot at you. When I said someone actually pointed a shotgun at me while canvassing, my parents thought it exaggeration. I'll never forget the details of that woman's face, though. These thoughts of mine drowned out the city's sounds. As I walked past a vacant lot, one quiet sound slipped through. It was a sound that shouldn't be there. It sounded like an animal, but also not. It was a moan of anguish. I pressed my hands against the fence, and lifted my eyes to the "No Trespassing" sign shaking in the wind. My worry over that sound far outweighed my worry of getting in trouble. I gave a look around, and hopped the fence. My eyes darted around, taking in the trucks and construction equipment, and the wide shadows they cast over the concrete. A messy pile in the corner drew my attention. It looked like the aftermath of a small explosion. As I knelt by it, I heard the same moan from before. It was unlike any I'd ever heard. And it touched sympathies I never knew I'd had.

I dug through the debris in a panic. Tools and scrap clattered to the concrete. I wasn't worried anymore about being noticed. I was worried if I'd ever hear that voice again. I lifted one last sheet of aluminum, and paused mid-toss.

It was an animal. Anything beyond that...confused me. It was like a horse. But somehow I couldn't say, "It was a horse." I told myself that I was just seeing shadows. That wasn't the strangest thing, though. Its slight moans were beginning to sound like words. I tried to shake those thoughts away, and focused on the situation's cold urgency. I was no veteranarian, but the warmth of my house was definitely better than this frigid night. At least until I could call the people staffing the animal sanctuary.

"Where...am..."

Yeah, I was definitely hearing things.

Once I got back to the light of my apartment, I realized I was seeing things as well. I had to be.

The animal was sleeping on my couch now. At least it wasn't crying out in pain anymore, but the way it's stomach rose up in harsh, troubled breaths worried me just as much. The animal appeared to be, to use the best word, a unicorn. It was a pony, but with a horn. And it was purple.

The phone lay clattered on the table, off the hook. I couldn't call yet; I had to consider my words. Otherwise, the people on the other line would just call me crazy and hang up.

I paced the room, looking back at the poor thing every few seconds. My first explanation: it's an extreme case of animal fashion. It's fur is dyed, along with the carefully trimmed mane. And the horn is fake. All to fulfill some rich little girl's bizarre Christmas wish. It was definitely bizarre, and probably a bit cruel. The horn looked glued on...probably painfully. Right, it had to be glued on. In a moment of curious weakness, I reached a finger out to the sleeping pony's horn. I was hoping to feel the cold touch of plastic.

The moment my fingertip touched the pony's horn, its eyes were open. Our two confused gazes held each other, for many long seconds.

"You...you're gonna be alright. OK? Don't worry, I'm gonna call the people at the animal sanctuary. They'll know what to do with you."

I tried to speak reassuringly. I hoped to bring myself back to familiarity, too...I'd done plenty of work with animals at the sanctuary.

"Get...get away from me! Don't call more of your..."

A panicked voice filled the room, before fading into a winded cough. At that cough, the pony doubled up on the sofa.

"What...the...?"

The pony turned one open eye towards me. "I said stand back! You're a...a huma..."

Its eye quivered in fear, while its mouth clenched in pain. A million thoughts rushed through my head. But in the heat of the moment, they all boiled down to one. I didn't care if I was hearing things, seeing things, or whatever. This creature, this...living thing...needed help.

"You can understand me? Well, please, calm down You shouldn't move around so much."

I tried to put my hand to it's shoulder, warming it even a bit.

"You must be hurt from..."

At my touch though, it jerked back and thrashed about, unsettling the cushions with it's tiny strength.

"Stay back! I've been trained by the Princess herself! I'm not afrai-"

Her sentence trailed off. She seemed to have overexerted herself, and had passed out again on the sofa.

Wait...her? She? Why was I thinking like that? Its voice did seem very feminine. This was going to be a lot different than when I brought in that stray cat.

I never called the animal sanctuary. I kept asking myself if I was doing the right thing, and couldn't give any answer. But if I alone had scared her so much, a team in uniform could be even worse. She was worn out, but not so bad she had to visit the vet. Or hospital...whichever one was right.

I stopped my pacing, and looked towards the sofa where she still lay. A spare blanket was draped over her body, rising and falling with each breath. More than anything, she needed sleep. No matter how troubled that sleep was.

And, what was I supposed to do?

What was I supposed to do when she woke up?

I continued my wary pacing, glancing back to her every few seconds. I had to. Otherwise, I'd start doubting it was all real. A talking pony...no, a talking unicorn. Was there a place in the world for such a creature? A zoo? A laboratory? Was I just paranoid, or arrogant, for thinking the best place might be with me? Every question raised more questions. The strange emotions racing through me were even more problematic. My gaze was captured, for longer and longer, by this poor...girl sleeping on my couch.

In the middle of this, her eyes fluttered back open. They focused right on me, and for awhile, I felt hope she'd calmed down. But her blurry vision was just adjusting. Her pupils soon widened in fear.

"Please. There's no need to run."

I showed my hands. It was best if I spoke first. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She didn't move an inch. But then again, she was probably just to weak to. Her heart was already racing miles a minute. Those minutes passed slowly by, before she found her voice again.

"But...aren't you a human?"

She shivered at the word.

"Humans are...the most dangerous monster in any book I've read."

"You've never met a human?"

The pony shook her head weakly.

"Of course not. They're supposed to be extinct."

"Well. Perhaps you should question your sources."

I pointed at myself, to show what I meant. She blushed, however it is ponies blush, and her ears drooped downward.

"But still...I've never met a unicorn. So I guess we're even?"

I could still see the fear in her eyes. But right behind it, there was also a tinge of curiosity. If she'd never met a human, she must have the same questions I did. Under her intense stare, I felt like blushing myself. "Anyways...would you like some water?

I offered her some, as slow and non-threateningly as I could, from a dog bowl I'd poured earlier. She glanced back and forth between the bowl and I, weighing worries in her mind. In the end, though, she couldn't resist her thirst. As she gingerly lapped up a drink, I hid a smile.

"Would you like some soup, too? I heated it up."

"You don't eat ponies?"

"That's...ridiculous."

I fetched a bowl from the kitchen, glad that my back was turned. I'd just remembered how horse slaughter was recently legalized in the US. Luckily I didn't have any canned horse meat in the pantry. She didn't even notice me return, too absorbed in the sights around her. Her eyes kept darting between the lamp, the computer, and the bookshelf.

"Ahem. Here, it'll warm you up. Would you like me to hold the spoon?"

Her eyes snapped back to me. I was definitely the most interesting thing here.

"No, that's fine."

With a glow of her horn, the spoon levitated right out of my hand. By this point, it didn't shock me at all. She took small sips, and awkwardly tried to hide her stolen glances at me. Once she'd finished, I tried for another question.

"So...what are you doing here?"

Her lost expression was answer enough. After a few downcast seconds, though, she put it to words.

"I'm wondering the same thing myself."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: ****Someone in the reviews was worried that I was abandoning this story. Nope, definitely not! I've just been really busy getting hired for a new job. I very much enjoy writing it, and I'll stick with it to the end. I hope you enjoy reading it, too.**

Of all the times for a purple unicorn to show up on my couch, this was probably the best. It was Winter Break at my college, so I just had my part time internship. That left plenty of time to look after her. And I didn't have to worry about sleep deprivation.

"You're getting better already...'Twilight'."

She levitated the thermometer from my hands, far across the room, to get a look herself. She was still wary of my hands getting too close. Ah well, step by step.

I guess my time volunteering at the animal sanctuary paid off."

"Animal sanctuary? What is it a sanctuary from?"

As her health returned, so did her curiosity. Her questions were incredibly probing, too. This creature didn't just have a human's mind, but a brilliant human's mind.

"Uh...you know, being rescued from dangerous situations."

"Hmm."

She took a sip from her mug of hot chocolate, and closed her eyes. She was either savoring, or contemplating.

With her strength returning, we talked for hours. I was just as curious as her. She told me of "Equestria," a land of other talking ponies like herself. She was experimenting with teleportation "magic," but it went wrong and she ended up in my world. Her poor condition, she said, was due to magical over-exertion.

Her story sounded like fantasy to me. But then again, my world was just as fantastical to her. And it fascinated her, every single fact about humans that was missing from her bestiary. She begged me to tell more about our inventions, our eras, our onward rush of history.

"So how do these...'elections' work? Does your land's ruler really...change?"

"It's a complicated process, and it varies from country to country...heck, you might as well just read a book on it."

Her head shot up, with a twinkle in the eye. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

"Yeah, you could get a more comprehensive understanding from reading. I have plenty of non-fiction...history, science, sociology."

I turned to pick a few off the shelf, while feeling her eyes on my back.

"Hmm...maybe the _Federalist Papers_?"

"I...never knew humans wrote books."

"Heck, you should see the library. It has 50 times more books than here. No, more like 500 times."

"I wish I could see that. But...I'm not sure it's safe."

I wasn't sure either.

"Don't worry. I can bring you whatever you want. You can even browse the catalog from here...our library has a website."

I looked at the books in my hand. I read widely, but I didn't have many introductory titles, like textbooks.

"Hmm...I should get you some books to start with."

I'd also been meaning to get groceries today. Still, I was worried about leaving her alone.

"Please! I want to see as many human books as I can!"

That decided it.

"Heh. Well, try to stay on the couch and rest yourself. You're getting better, but you shouldn't overexert yourself."

At my show of concern, she hid her smile. Normally, you'd be happy when people cared about you. From her expression, though, she wasn't sure what to feel.

"Ahem. Yes. I'm quite capable of defending myself, at least."

"Ok..well, take care. There's still some vegetable soup on the coffee table over here."

I waved to her as I walked out, and slowly shut the door behind me. My back leaned against it. Just one morning later, the world outside seemed so different. I was looking at the world through a pony's eyes: the eyes of another sentient being. How would it look to her?

At the honk of a nearby horn, I shook myself out of that wondering mood. I couldn't leave her alone too long. Her health was one thing, but she was also innocent to this world's ways. What if she electrocuted herself with a wall outlet? Poking around with that horn of hers...I'd told her to lay and rest, but after seeing that twinkle of curiosity in her eye, I knew she wouldn't rest forever.

With that thought running through my mind, I quickly sidewalked to the library for a backpack-full of books. The friendly librarian asked if I was homeschooling a kid, and I politely mumbled back. That wasn't too far from the truth, really. The grocery store was nearby. I definitely needed more orange juice and hot oatmeal. Before long, I was heading back home, trying to act casually, and not like a guy secretly hiding a trans-dimensional refugee.

When I made it back, and put my ear to the door, I could hear a muffled racket. Oddly enough, it wasn't from the living room. It sounded like the kitchen. Was she trying to make me "Thank You" pancakes? The thought was worrying, so I quickly fidgeted the lock open and followed the noise.

There wasn't any smoke, at least. But the kitchen was in complete disarray. She stood at the center of it all, her back towards me as she loudly dug through the fridge.

"Um...bad case of the munchies?"

She froze at my words, and cautiously turned to face me. Her eyes opened the same as I first saw: wide in fear.

"Stand...stand back! I won't let you get me too!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I read through your books while you were gone! "

She jerked her head to one book, spread out on a counter top.

"I know your secret now! You put up a good front, but humans truly are malicious creatures!"

I could recognize the book's spine...it was "Animal Liberation: A Graphic Guide." Ah. That explains things. The facts in that book would make anyone see humans as monsters.

"Listen, Twilight, you're mistaken...I don't even-"

"Mistaken? What is there to mistake? What else but a monster could do such horrible things to other beings? Just for their own hunger? You've probably just been fattening me up, haven't you!"

Even from the other side of the room, I could see she was trembling. Her horn was glowing with a bright purple light, brandished unsteadily as a weapon. I couldn't blame her for being afraid. If I was tossed into a cold and alien world like her, I would be too. . I had to calm her down, though, before she hurt herself.

"Twilight, I know what you're looking for. But, there's none in my fridge, right?"

"I saw...the corpses in the pictures..."

"Not all humans are like that. Just...most."

This wasn't going well. My words weren't getting through to her. She was looking even worse. Her horn's magic hadn't dimmed a bit, and she struggled to maintain it. I could see the damp sweat of her coat, and the faltering steps of her hooves.

"Why did you have to confuse me so...I wanted to think you weren't a...m..."

The magic's strain was so great that even talking was difficult for her. With her eyes shut tightly, she took a bad step on the tile floor and stumbled to the ground.

"Twilight!"

I raced forward to catch her, but was blinded by a howling light.

The world was far away, but warm. Twilight felt a hoof by her side. It wasn't hard like a hoof, though. It felt soft, and impossibly broad. Yes, it couldn't be a hoof. But it was still a connection to that far away, warm world she missed so much. And, ever so slowly, it was pulling her closer back to it.

There were more things, the closer she came back. Twilight thought she heard her friends' voices calling her name. Every time she heard it, it melded more and more into a single voice. It was an unfamiliar voice, but she was glad it was there.

Her condition was much worse than before. There were no words...just fevered panting, as she lay on the sofa.

Could I really help her? I had some basic veterinary knowledge, but I'd never treated a case of "magical over-exertion." But then again, no other human had. This was the right thing, wasn't it? The authorities would just see a test subject now. Who else would believe that this creature could talk? That this creature had feelings...and fears? I paced back and forth in my mind.

But with my body, I stayed. I stayed by her side, keeping a warm hand to her chest. I tried all the remedies and treatments I could think of. In the end, staying by her side was the most important thing I could do.

"Kevin?"

"Huh?"

I rose up from the sofa's edge, wiping drool with my sleeve. I didn't remember falling asleep...

"Sorry. I was wondering if you were awake or not."

My gaze fell down upon the resting unicorn. I quietly blessed fate. Twilight was awake, and much better. She still looked tired though, staring up at me with the weight of worlds crossed. Her intensity from before had faded. And it was replaced with...what exactly, I didn't know.

"I...I thought I was still awake. I guess I dozed off a bit there."

How long she'd watched me there. As I rubbed my eyes, Twilight winced.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Your hand."

"Oh? Ah...sorry about that."

I moved my right hand back, awkwardly, to behind her ear.

"Is...that OK?"

She nodded without a word, and I could feel her velvety fur brushing against my skin.

"I should be the one saying sorry," she said, casting her eyes aside.

"Don't worry. You had good reason to be afraid."

I gave the back of her soft ear a little scratch.

"Don't be around me, though."

She smiled. I couldn't help smiling myself. I'd officially graduated to "not a monster."

But if I wasn't a monster, than what was I?


End file.
